The second winery we visited on our Texas Hill Country Wine Tour was Driftwood Estate Winery. This was a recommendation of my tasting partner’s, Jane, and it was pretty good one.

The Rules

The Grounds

By the time we arrived the place was already buzzing. Driftwood Estate Winery is a great spot for a picnic, especially on a day like the day we visited, clear blue skies temp in the high teens and low twenties (Celsius), with a great view out over the vineyard and surrounds.

There is even a Pizza Truck onsite if you decide to hang around for lunch and enjoy the view but did not pack a bite or three.

One of the fun additions to the place were the various signs posted around the place.

Driftwood Estate Winery

From their website:

The Texas Winery and Vineyard with the
Million Dollar View.

Driftwood Estate Winery and Vineyard embodies the spirit and heart of Texas. Driftwood radiates Texas pride in its production of high quality wines made from Texas grapes. Driftwood Estate Winery sits on a bluff overlooking our Estate Vineyard and the Hill Country from which visitors can enjoy our award winning wines. The view from the bluff is spectacular and the grounds are perfect for a picnic with your favorite glass or bottle of Driftwood Estate wine.

Wine Tasting

At Driftwood Estate Winery they have a different approach to tasting to Stone House Vineyard, instead of pre-defined tasting flights you pay USD15 to taste any six wines listed on their tasting sheet. You also get a tasting glass with the Driftwood Logo. A nice touch, IMHO, is the 10% discount provided to serving Military Personnel.

The tasting room is filled with wine related knickknacks and tools, this is the second tasting room that they have built with few separate areas for tastings. When we arrived the joint was packed, but we must have timed it just right as a large group were finishing their flights as we entered the tasting room, so we were able to get to the main tasting area and find a good perch.

We were also lucky to be served by a knowledgeable lady who could guide us through their list.

The Wine

wdt_ID	Wine	Photo
1	Name: Driftwood Estate Winery Vintage: 2015 Region: Texas Hill Country, Texas, USA Varietal: Chardonnay Alcohol: 13% Colour: Bright pale straw Aroma: A crisp mix of citrus and lemon aromas Palate: Balanced, fresh Finish: Medium Comment: This was a nice wine, a good quaffer. My first Texas grown and produced wine!
2	Name: Driftwood Estate Winery Lone Star Cab Vintage: 2014 Region: Texas Hill Country Estate and Plains Texas, Texas, USA Varietal: 83% Cabernet Sauvignon 17% Syrah Alcohol: 14.5% Colour: Youthful Mid-Deep Crimson Aroma: Pleasant combination of black pepper, cherry and cedar aromas Palate: Medium-bodied Tannin: Savoury Finish: Medium-long Comment: Enjoyed the Lone Star Cab, something to enjoy over a barbeque.
3	> Name: Driftwood Estate Winery Longhorn Red Vintage: 2014 Region: Texas, USA Varietal: 50% Syrah 50% Cabernet Sauvignon Alcohol: 14.5% Colour: Vivid Deep Crimson Aroma: Mixture of blackcurrant and cherry aromas Palate: Medium-bodied, abundance of cherry Tannin: Developing Finish: Medium-long Comment: Bit too much 'cherry' for me. Still a young wine, wouldn’t mind revisiting it in a few years, hopefully the 'cherry' has subsided. <
4	Name: Driftwood Estate Winery Syrah Vintage: 2014 Region: Texas Hill Country Estate, Texas, USA Varietal: 90% Syrah 19% Merlot Alcohol: 14.9% Colour: Vivid Mid-Deep Ruby Red Aroma: Pleasant combo of cherry and cedar aromas Palate: Medium-bodied, balanced Tannin: Savoury Finish: Medium-long Comment: Best of the Driftwood Estate Winery wines so far. Another good wine for a barbeque, would like to revisit it again with a bit more age, when the cherry aromas are not as pronounced
5	Name: B&E Vineyard Red Rhythm Vintage: 2013 Region: Paso Robles, California, USA Varietal: 73% Merlot 27% Cabernet Sauvignon Alcohol: 15.2% Colour: Youthful Mid-Deep Crimson Aroma: Complex mix of blackcurrant, spice and cedar aromas Palate: Medium-bodied, balanced Tannin: Developing Finish: Medium-long Comment: Getting better. A very good quaffer. The best of the Driftwood Estate Winery Wines.
6	Name: Driftwood Estate Winery Starry Nights Vintage: NV Region: Deming, New Mexico, USA Varietal: Muscat Alcohol: 11% Colour: Bright Light Gold Aroma: Powerful combo of apricot and passionfruit aromas Palate: Balanced, abundance of apricot Finish: Medium-long Comment: An interesting wine, although, IMHO I don’t agree with the Winery’s comparison to Prosecco, wouldn’t have done that. Glad I left to this, as recommended, to the last wine to taste, the sweetness would have overpowered my palate. BTW, this is a Demi-Sec Carbonated Wine

My Favourite

Thoughts

I liked Driftwood Estate Winery, whilst the wines are not stars, the whole setup, especially the friendly and helpful staff makes a tasting their fun and interesting. If you were intending to do a tasting tour of the Texas Hill Country and wanted to pick a place for a picnic lunch, this would be the place for me, even if the weather is a bit inclement as you can set up under the large open air barn, not really sure what else to call it. I would return.